The Yule Ball Date Race
by Leville
Summary: The Yule Ball is fast approaching and Dean Thomas hasn't asked a girl to go with him yet. He knows who he wants to ask, but doesn't think he stands a chance. However, when he hears word that someone's planning to invite her, he decides to try his luck and ask her first.
1. Chapter 1: Paired Up

A/N: I confess I love this ship. Dean's line about Parvati and Padma being the best looking girls in the year always intrigued me. I'm not real sure how "in character" they sound. We don't really know much about these characters. Not enough for me to get a feel for them at least. I tried though.

I wrote this on another site in about… 2008 under the name "Looking for a Yule Ball Date". It has 3 parts. It also has a sequel, which I will post later.

**Paired Up: **

"Just ask someone, mate." Seamus exasperated voice could barely be heard over the racket going on in the common room. Everyone was buzzing that Ron Weasley asked Fleur Delacour to the Yule Ball, and she hadn't even bothered to answer him.

Dean shrugged, feeling positive that it was a hopeless cause. "I dunno. Who could I ask? Every girl I know is paired up. Susan's going with Anthony Goldstein. Hannah's going with Ernie. Sally-Anne's going with Michael Corner. Daphne's with Blaise Zabini, you're with Laven— "

"All right, all right. Shuddup. Lots of girls are taken, I get it. How about a younger girl? Anyone in third year would love to go. You could ask _any one_ of them. That's what Neville did."

Dean grimaced at the very idea. "I don't _know_ anyone in third year. I can't just ask someone I've never even spoken to."

"Sure you can, look at Harry." Seamus smirked. "Remember when that third-year girl asked him? He didn't even know her name."

"_And that's why he turned her down_."

"That didn't stop you from making fun of him for it."

"Well, you started it."

Seamus laughed and then turned away from Dean to survey the common room. He scanned the various faces until his gaze finally settled on Parvati Patil. "Call me crazy, but I think you should go with Parvati! No one's asked her yet- they're too scared she'll turn them down."

"Gee, all the more reason to humiliate myself," retorted Dean, sarcastically.

Seamus waved Dean's words aside. "But don't you see? Now it's too late, and she'll say yes to anyone. It's _prefect_. She's Lavender's best friend. We can double."

Dean smiled, realizing that Seamus had a point. It was very last minute and Parvati was sure to say yes, just as friends. It would be more fun if all four of them went together. Feeling his spirits rise, Dean started to get to his feet. He hadn't even taken a single step when Harry Potter walked up to Parvati. Dean paused and sure enough, he was asking Parvati would go with him to the ball. Dean didn't have to eavesdrop to know that Parvati accepted Harry's invitation. Not only was he famous, but he was a Triwizard Champion. In addition to saving the Wizarding world, he now fought dragons to boot.

Fantastic.

Dean was about to sit right back down when— "Wait!" shouted Seamus, leaping to his feet as well. "Padma! You can ask Padma. I'm sure one's asked her, either. She used to help you with your Transfiguration homework, didn't she? I bet she'd go with you."

Dean felt his stomach drop. Padma was _exactly_ who he wanted to go the Yule Ball with and was _exactly_ the reason he had put off asking anyone else for song long. He bit his lip and was about to try to make up an excuse when they heard Harry ask Parvati if anyone would go with Ron. And Parvati replied with, "Well.. I suppose my sister might. . . Padma, you know ...in Ravenclaw. I'll ask her if you like."

"Now she has a date," said Dean, about twenty-five percent relieved and seventy-five percent disappointed. "She's going with Ron."

Seamus smiled an evil smile. "But she can't go with Ron if she's already got someone, eh? We'll get to Padma and you'll ask her before Parvati can. "

Dean looked down at the floor, noticing the unpleasant color of the carpet for the first time. "I can't just steal Ron's date."

"She's not his date. Not yet. And if we act fast, she never will be."

"Do you really think it's worth all this trouble?"

"Are you kidding?" yelped Seamus. "_Look_ at Parvati." Dean's eyes darted in her direction. She was chatting excitedly with Lavender, beaming, obviously thrilled to finally have a date to the ball. She _was_ beautiful. In his opinion, she was one of the two most beautiful girls in fourth-year. Seamus ploughed on with his pep-talk. "Padma looks just like that. But she's... smarter? She's in Ravenclaw, so she must be. It doesn't matter. She doesn't have a date yet. You know her name. You've talked to her. She fits all your criteria and then some. Be ready to ask her in the morning on the way to breakfast!"

Knowing it was pointless to argue with Seamus once he made up his mind, Dean sat back down and sighed. Maybe, just maybe it would work out and he could spend Christmas with Padma Patil. And if things went well…


	2. Chapter 2: The Race

**The Race:**

"Dean!" hissed Seamus' voice.

Dean blinked. He didn't know what time it was, but he knew it was too early for breakfast and therefore too early to put up with any of Seamus' antics. He rolled over and put his pillow over his head. with any luck, it would drown out most of Seamus' noise.

This didn't stop Seamus. "You've got a girl to ask to the ball," said Seamus in a high-pitched undertone. "Come on. I don't want to wake up Ron. If he finds out we're trying to steal his date he'll attempt to jinx us. Rather messy and wholly unnecessary if we go now!"

Dean sighed. Seamus had a point. This was a race to Ravenclaw tower. And if he didn't beat Parvati, he would end up at the Yule Ball alone. The only Gryffindor forth-year to do so. Even Neville had someone. "Fine, fine." He stumbled out of bed and started making his way to the door.

"I think you're missing something," Seamus whispered, chocking back a snort of laughter.

Dean looked down, noticing that he was still in his pajamas. "Oh. Yeah. Right."

He quickly got dressed, taking time to make sure that he didn't put his robes on backwards and that he didn't have mismatching socks or shoes.

Double checking that Ron was still snoring, Dean and Seamus crept out of the room and down the set of stairs that led to the mercifully empty Gryffindor Common room.

Seamus checked his watch. "I don't think Parvati's left yet. I think we're the first ones up. Are you ready?" he asked. .

Dean tried to smile, but his face merely looked contorted with pain.

Seamus sighed. "It's nothing to get yourself into a twist over. Just go up to her and say, 'I heard your sister is planning on making you go with Ron Weasley. Go with me before she asks you. I'm doing you a favor.'"

"You really think she would rather go with me?" Dean asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I do," said Seamus. "You and Padma are friends. I mean, has Ron ever even talked to her before? All you have to do is just wait outside the Ravenclaw common room door, and then ask her." Seamus gave Dean a shove. "Just go... I'll stay here and distract Parvati if need be." He seized a book that someone had forgotten last night from a nearby table. "I'll tell her that I need help with my homework."

Dean threw a glance at the book, fighting a smile. "Neither you nor Parvati takes Muggle studies. But thank you." He pushed up on the Fat Lady's portrait and hopped down into the corridor.

Dean tried not to run his way up the staircase that led to the Ravenclaw common room, his spirits soaring despite himself. _There's no reason she'll say no... Even if we just go as friends…_

Dean stopped dead in his tracks; he looked up and saw Parvati and Lavender arm-in-arm, descending the staircase, only a couple of yards above him. And Parvati's other arm was linked through Padma's.

"Dean?" asked Parvati. "What are you doing here? Still get lost on the way to the Great Hall?" There was no taunt in her words. Her smile was friendly.

"I wanted to find… Michael Corner. I had a question about yesterday's Charm's homework," he invented wildly.

""Oh. Why didn't you ask Hermione? I'm sure she knows more about it than Michael. And while you're at it, would you mind asking her who she's going with to the ball? I'm _dying_ to know." Parvati turned to her sister. "So, speaking of the ball… Padma, you didn't answer me earlier. You don't mind going with Ron, do you?"

She fidgeted. "I guess it's all right. I mean, it's not like anyone else has asked me."

Was Dean imagining it, or did Padma glance at him?

"...And Ron's nice enough, I suppose." Padma sounded a little uncertain.

"Had your eye on one of those boys from Durmstrang, huh?" asked Lavender. "Just like your sister. I can't blame you, there. But I like Seamus well enough. Lord knows no other girl would go with him."

_Definitely imagined it_, Dean thought.

"Ron's great," Parvati said brightly as she elbowed Lavender to make her shut up. "He's really funny sometimes. We'll have an amazing time."

Dean was still standing on the staircase, still as a statue. Rather than asking him to move or breaking ranks, the three girls turned sideways and walked down the staircase single file. Padma, who was last, waved to Dean with her free hand.

He waved back, forcing a smile and feeling a strong urge to kick himself.


	3. Chapter 3: The Ball

**The Ball:**

"Cheer up, Dean," said Seamus bracingly. They were at the Yule Ball, and Seamus was trying, without success, to get Dean to stop leaning against the wall.

"Look," sighed Seamus, obviously getting tired of Lavender tugging on his sleeve and shaking her off by asking her to get them some water. "The girl you fancy is here with some other bloke. Hard luck. But look at it this way. She doesn't' really like him and there's loads of girls here just standing awkwardly to the side. Just ask one of them to dance. Any one of them. You don't have to marry her."

"The girl I fancy?" Dean repeated, abruptly brought back.

"Oh come off it. You can't deny it. I saw the look on your face when you told me Parvati got there first... which doesn't make any sense, by the way! I mean, you left nearly ten minutes before she did!"

"She meets Padma every day. I'm sure Parvati knows a shortcut."

Seamus didn't seem to be listening. "Would you look at that? The bright side has emerged." Seamus pointed across the room, where Ron and Harry were sulking. Harry hadn't danced with Parvati since it was the opening number. And Ron hadn't bothered with Padma at all. But as Dean looked to wear Seamus was pointing, he saw that one of the boys from Beauxbatons had approached Parvati.

"Now's your chance!" shouted Seamus over the Weird Sister's music as Parvati followed the boy back out onto the dance floor. "Padma can't just sit there while her sister leaves. Ask her! ASK! HER!"

Dean nodded, taking a step forward. _It's not that hard. Just say_—

"Un-bloody-believable," said Seamus as Parvati's new Beauxbatons boy found a friend who asked Padma to join him.

"What's unbelievable?" asked Lavender, who had just reappeared, holding two goblets of Butterbeer.

"That you knew Dean needed something stronger than water," said Seamus, snatching the one of the goblets from his date and handing it over to his best friend.

Dean took a sip as Lavender offered the remaining goblet to Seamus.

He shook his head. "No, it's yours."

Lavender beamed as though Seamus had committed an act of gallant chivalry.

Seamus repressed as scowl as Lavender finished her drink. "Come on, Lavender... I guess I owe you... another dance..." He looked stricken at the thought.

Lavender's smile was absolute as she grabbed Seamus' hand a dragged him away.

Dean finished his Butterbeer more slowly, waiting for the current song to end and for Seamus and Lavender to come back. But the song ended and they didn't come back. Three more songs played and they still didn't return. After awhile, Dean checked his watch. Twenty-five minutes until midnight. He could go now. Seamus wouldn't miss him; Seamus was too busy having a much better time with Lavender than he would ever have admitted.

Resigned, Dean made his through the crowd and out into the Great Hall which was blessedly empty. Except for one other person a girl. Dean squinted in the dim light. Padma was ascending the staircase, alone. Not her sister, her Ravenclaw friends, or a Beauxbatons boy in sight.

It was almost too perfect to be real. _This is like a scene from one of Heather's dumb romantic comedy movies_. He thought about what his younger sister would say to him if he let this moment pass.

"Padma?"

At the sound of her name, she turned. "Oh, hello, Dean." She smiled at him, though she still looked a little miserable. "Had enough of the Ball, too?"

"Absolutely. Why did you leave?"

Padma rolled her eyes, taking a step down. A step closer. "Ron ignored me all night and another boy— a rather overly friendly boy— asked me to dance. After the third time he put his hands where they had no business, I decided I had enough. What about you?"

Dean grimaced. "Well, I wanted to ask someone I really liked, but I figured I wouldn't have a chance with her. Then I decided to give it a shot. By the time I got up the nerve, someone else got to her first."

"Oh." Padma's voice full of sympathy. "You know, there was a boy I kept hoping would ask me, and just when I was about to ask him myself, Parvati was practically demanding that I go with Ron."

"I'm sorry it didn't work out, with Ron or the Beauxbatons groper."

"I'm not," Padma admitted.

"Well, then I'm sorry about the one you originally hoped would ask you. The guy's an idiot."

Padma laughed. "Don't be so hard on him. Besides, recent events have led me to believe it's not entirely hopeless."

"Hey," said Dean, getting a sudden idea. After all, he was managing to have a decent conversation with her right now. Why not make the most of it? "Since— er since, neither of us could go with who we wanted, why don't we go back for the last couple of songs- you know, together?"

Padma didn't answer; instead she walked down the staircase, closing the distance between herself and Dean. She held out her hands. Hesitating only a moment, Dean reached out and took her hands in his.

The End

**A/N: I'll post the sequel "Paints and Prefects" tomorrow.**


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